Nelson Piquet Jr.
Just a quick news recap of what’s been going on in NASCAR in the last few days. 
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series News
We’ve got another Formula One driver crossing over to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The new driver is none other than the ex-Renault Formula One driver, Nelson Piquet Jr. The highly-controversial driver shook the F1 world when he revealed the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix scandal. After Piquet was fired, he decided to tell the FIA about how he deliberately crashed his car in the Singaporean GP to let his teammate Fernando Alonso get ahead in the race. This revelation led to the penalizing of Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds, who were both removed from Renault shortly after the scandal went public.
Piquet revealed in his website that his: “first 18 months in F1 did not go as planned. I have decided to focus on something different and have chosen to take a route in America.”
+++
NASCAR.com reports that Robby Gordon has completed Stage 12 of the Dakar Rally in fifth place, and is in eighth place overall. Good job Gordon!
You can check out Gordon’s progress in Robbygordon.com, Twitter, and PlanetRobby.com.
+++
Casey Mears
Possible bad news for Casey Mears fans out there. Richard Childress Racing has recently announced that they will be headed for Daytona with just three cars. Though Mears has earned a slot in the Daytona race, thanks to his 21st place finish in the series, the organization won’t be running the No. 07 car.
The only cars RCR will field are those driven by Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, and Jeff Burton.
Reports indicate that RCR’s change of heart has to do with Jack Daniels, the No. 07 car’s main sponsor leaving the sport last year. The team is yet to find another sponsor for Mears’ car. Meanwhile, there’s no news of Mears’ plans for 2010 yet.
+++
Good news for sports nuts who tune into ESPN the whole day. The station has announced that it will be airing 14 Sprint Cup races this season—and that includes 9 out of the 10 Chase races.
ABC on the other hand, will only be airing three primetime Saturday night races. If you want to watch the NASCAR races this season, then I suggest taking note of this little tidbit. 
You can find the complete TV schedule of the NASCAR races at NASCAR.com.
Brad Parrott
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series News
NASCAR Nationwide Series News
Brad Parrott will be joining Baker Curb Racing for this season. Parrott is now the team’s new crew chief for its No. 27 Ford Fusion entry. The No. 27 car will be driven by Greg Biffle this year.
+++
Good news for Truck Series veteran Jason White. White is set to drive the No. 23 Dodge entry of SS Green Light Racing. Gunbroker.com will be White’s main sponsor, while ASI Limited will be adorning the Dodge car’s quarter panels.
+++
Stringer Motorsports has also found itself a new crew chief. Leading Brad Sweet this season is Champion crew chief Trip Bruce. Guess that’s awesome news for Sweet, since Bruce is a very experienced and highly-capable crew chief. Bruce has worked for some of the top teams in the industry, including Ultra Motorsports, Evernham Motorsports, and Bill Davis Racing.
Source: NASCAR.com
Images: SpeedReadBlog.Blogspot.com, CatchFence.com, FastenalRacing.com, SceneDaily.com
